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“Ama” is the Ayurvedic term for toxins and impurities that build up in the physiology, creating blockages to the flow of nutrients, circulation and biological signals. These impurities can be attributed to environmental pollutants, poor digestion and/or stressful experiences.

Ama tends to build up in the tissues and channels of circulation over time. The longer these toxins remain in the physiology, more deeply imbedded they become. These long-standing blockages have been identified as the the root cause of many diseases and chronic disorders.

Signs of Ama

1)The frequent need to spit or clear throat

2)A heavy feeling in the body (sluggishness)

3)Physical weakness

4)Fatigue

5)Coated tongue

Quick Tips to Reduce Ama and Feel Better

Boil water for 10 minutes in the morning and put in a thermos that you can take with you. Sip hot water throughout the day. This will easily and naturally help to dissolve ama.

Improve your dietary habits by eating more cooked veggies (organic, fresh vegetables are recommended). Eat your biggest meal at lunch, when your digestive fire is strongest, and have a lighter meal at night.

Avoid cold food or drinks, especially with meals. Iced drinks with a meal or a frozen dessert after a meal will severely diminish your ability to digest what you have just eaten. Ama will accumulate as a result.

A warm oil massage in the morning will help clear ama from the skin tissues and will also provide a layer of protection from environmental pollutants.

Can having loving thoughts, being kind or just feeling happy make your body healthier? Both the ancient texts of Ayurveda and modern research say yes!

The original texts of Ayurveda, dated over 5000 years ago, recognized the importance of behavior for mental and physical well being with a branch called Achar Rasayana. Achar refers to behavior and Rasayana means that which promotes life.

Behavioral Rasayana is based on the principal that just as your words and actions produce an effect in your environment, so they also have a direct effect on your mind, body, intellect and emotions. This is because your entire mind-body system, your behavior and your environment are integrated and function together as one whole.

Modern researchers have found that negative emotions such as fear and anger can create such stressful reactions that they break down the body’s immune system and eventually make it sick. Research from the Department of Health and Social Behavior, Harvard School of Public Health in 2000 concluded, “growing evidence indicates that negative emotions may influence the development of coronary heart disease.”

On the other hand, positive thoughts and actions produce positive health results. A number of studies show that happy, well-adjusted people have fewer severe illnesses and live longer.

Science now knows that every time you have a thought or a feeling, every cell in your body creates chemicals called neuropeptides, which directly affect all your physical systems and organs.

Charika Samhita, the primary text of Ayurveda, specifies certain behavioral rasayanas that help one to progress and create better health and an ideal quality of life.

Here is a list of some traditional Behavioral Rasayanas from the Charika Samhita